Floods kill two miners in Lao Cai

Six workers of a gold mine in the northern Lào Cai Province have reportedly become the latest victims of typhoon Dianmu as their tent was swept away by floods.

Phạm Văn Thắng, secretary of Văn Bàn District’s Party Committee, said yesterday evening that the accident happened early Saturday morning in the exploitation site of Vàng Nhẫn Company in the district’s Mà Sa Phìn hamlet, Nâm Xây Commune.

The floods swept away two workers and injured four.

The bodies of the two missing victims were later found in Chăn stream and were handed over to their families.

The four injured workers were transferred to medical establishments, but they had not sustained serious injuries.

Mà Sa Phìn hamlet is the most remote area of Nâm Xây Commune, and is among six hamlets that continue to be isolated from other parts of the commune by floods.

Typhoon Dianmu, the third of its kind to batter Việt Nam this year, swept through the northern provinces over the weekend after making landfall on Friday. An earlier report by the office of the central steering committee for disaster prevention said seven people were killed, two were missing and eight were injured in the storm.

Boat sinks off Rach Goc, six fishermen rescued

Coastguards in the southernmost Cà Mau Province’s Ngọc Hiển District saved six fishermen drifting in the sea off Rạch Gốc Town, the Vietnam News Agency reported.

The provincial steering committee for natural disaster prevention and search and rescue said today that the fishermen’s boat sank due to huge waves on Saturday, when it was 43 nautical miles off Rạch Gốc seaport.

After being informed about the accident that occurred around midnight on Saturday, the Rạch Gốc Coastguard Post quickly managed to determine the position of the sunken boat.

The vessel, with a registered number plate KG 90892 TS, belongs to Captain Nguyễn Văn Toàn, a resident of the southern Kiên Giang Province. It was carrying Toàn and five other fishermen.

The Cà Mau Coastguard’s steering committee instructed Rạch Gốc coastguard officers to use two fishing vessels of local residents and sent six coastguard personnel to rescue the fishermen. They also called for assistance from other fishing boats in the vicinity.

All six fishermen were rescued by 9.30am yesterday and brought to shore. All are in stable health. 

Local authorities and fishermen are managing to  help salvage the sunken boat.

Southwestern region looks to upgrade transport infrastructure

Delegates at a conference in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on August 22 emphasised the need to roll out a specific mechanism in order to mobilise resources in developing transport infrastructure and logistics services in the southwestern region for 2016-2020.

Speaking at the event, held by the Ministry of Construction in conjunction with the Steering Committee for the Southwestern Region, Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue highlighted regional infrastructure connectivity.

Key projects linking regional provinces together and the Mekong Delta with others should be carried out, he said, citing a range of bridges like Can Tho, Ham Luong, Rach Mieu and Co Chien that have helped serve this purpose.

Deputy PM Hue, who is also head of the committee, said the loose regional connectivity has affected the socio-economic targets of localities, explaining that poor transport infrastructure has hindered production and product consumption in the region.

Despite its huge waterway potential, the region has injected just 11 percent of its total investments into waterway routes, compared with up to 90 percent of the sum poured into roads, the Deputy PM pointed out.

He requested the Ministries of Transport, Planning and Investment, and Finance to coordinate with localities to add transport projects to the regional public investment plan for 2016-2020.

Nguyen Huu Tri, Deputy Minister of the Finance Ministry, suggested relevant ministries, agencies and localities should focus resources on the most pressing projects like the Can Tho-Trung Luong Highway.

Echoing Tri’s view, Nguyen Van The, Secretary of the Soc Trang provincial Party Committee, said Dai Nghia Bridge linking Soc Trang with Tra Vinh province should also be prioritised.

He suggested the establishment of a big seaport in Soc Trang to help ease overload in Cai Cui Port in Can Tho city.

According to Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai, Can Tho has been selected to be a sub-region for logistics of the Mekong Delta.

A logistics centre, second class, is expected to be formed at Cai Cui Port to serve Can Tho, Tra Vinh, Hau Giang, Kien Giang, Ca Mau, Bac Lieu, Soc Trang and An Giang provinces, he said.

Nearly 80 transport projects valued at over 104.6 trillion VND (4.7 billion USD) are expected to be carried out in the southwestern region in the next five years.

Int’l water, energy expo to open in HCM City

Substantial development measures in the water and energy sectors in Vietnam in the context of complex climate change will be discussed at international exhibitions in Ho Chi Minh City from November 9-11, 2016, heard a press conference in the city on August 22.

The events are expected to draw the participation of foreign enterprises from France, Germany, Australia, the Netherlands, Japan, China, the Republic of Korea, Singapore and Thailand, among others.

According to the organising board, the sequence of events will open opportunities to exchange and bolster collaboration among experts, investors, managers, international enterprises and local partners.

Within the framework of the exhibitions, several seminars will be held to address the industries’ issues, especially pragmatic solutions in the Mekong Delta, the Central region and the Central Highlands which are all affected by climate change.

Huynh Kinh Tuoc, Director of the Energy Conservation Centre in Ho Chi Minh City said Vietnam has devised its renewable energy development strategy to 2030 with a vision to 2050, which affirms the development and use of renewable energy sources will contribute to realising durable environmental and green economic development targets. 

He added Vietnam is a potential market for local and foreign enterprises to invest and develop renewable energy and energy saving.

Alertness must remain to deal with post-storm situation: Deputy PM

Yen Bai province and its Tram Tau district in particular should continue keeping a close watch on the post-storm weather to actively cope with the impacts of follow-up downpours, Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung said. 

He visited Tram Tau district on August 22, applauding local efforts to respond to storm Dianmu which helped mitigate the impacts of the typhoon in the northern mountainous locality. 

He told Yen Bai and Tram Tau authorities to push ahead with settling the consequences of the storm and ensuring residents’ livelihoods. 

Tram Tau has been heavily affected by storm Dianmu, which killed two and injured one in the district. Five houses there totally collapsed while 17 houses were damaged, and 91 others were unroofed. 

Total damage caused by Dianmu in Tram Tau has exceeded 8.6 billion VND (385,600 USD). 

Also on August 22, the Ministry of Health ordered its subordinate bodies in the north to gear up for possible floods and landslides as a result of heavy rains triggered by the typhoon. 

Local health departments and medical agencies are also ensuring environmental hygiene and food safety at storm-hit areas to prevent outbreaks such as dengue fever, diarrhea and conjunctivitis. 

Medical forces and equipment also need to stand ready for deployment when necessary, the ministry said. 

Dianmu, the third storm of the year, swept through the northern region on August 19, claiming seven lives as of August 21. 

While two people from Bac Giang and Lao Cai remain unaccounted for, eight others in Hanoi, Yen Bai, Vinh Phuc and Phu Tho were injured, according to the Office of the Central Steering Committee on Disaster Prevention and Control. 

The tropical storm also caused 44 houses to collapse, blew away the roofs of 651 houses and inundated 1,511 others. 

While 14 bridges across the hit provinces damaged, thousands of roads, canals and dams were submerged and damaged. Blackouts were reported in a number of areas due to fallen electric poles and damaged transmission lines.

Dengue fever incidence spirals in Khanh Hoa

The southern central province of Khanh Hoa has recorded 3,430 dengue fever cases since the outset of 2016, shooting up 132 percent from a year earlier. 

One person died of the mosquito-borne disease during the period, according to the province’s preventive medicine centre. 

The number of new dengue fever patients declined between January and June, compared to the peak last December, but rebounded after that with 154 cases in July and another 200 this month. 

If drastic solutions are not taken, the figure will continue to rise in the next two months, and the disease will become an epidemic in November or December, the centre said. 

It attributed the spread to unproductive prevention activities and the rainy season – a favourable condition for mosquitoes to develop. 

Phase I of a mosquito larva elimination campaign was launched in Khanh Hoa in June and July, and the next phase will be held in September, the centre noted. 

A delegation from the Ministry of Health inspected the dengue fever prevention measures in Khanh Hoa on August 22. 

Leading the inspection team, Dang Duc Anh, Director of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, asked the province to step up communications to raise public awareness, spray anti-mosquito chemicals to timely and thoroughly deal with dengue fever hotbeds, and provide intensive training for local medical workers.-VNA

An Giang host U15 football tournament

The National U15 Football Championship will begin today in An Giang Province, with the hosts An Giang playing HCM City in the opener.

The next game will be between Viettel and Hoàng Anh Gia Lai. They are in Group A.

The Group B teams are Sông Lam Nghệ An, Khánh Hòa, Police and PVF.

The teams will compete in a round-robin format to select the top four teams for the semi-finals.

The final will be held on September 1. The winner will walk away with VNĐ50 million (US$2,200).

The annual tournament is being sponsored for the first time by Thái Sơn Bắc Electric Equipment Trading Company, which is also sponsoring the National Women’s Football Championship. 

Cueist Nguyện wins international event in Bình Dương

Nguyễn Quốc Nguyện won the International 3-cushion BTV-Becamex IJC Cup, which ended in Bình Dương City on August 21.

The world number 17 from HCM City defeated Phạm Quốc Nam from Cần Thơ 40-32 in the final match and grabbed a US$2,200 cash bonus from the organisers.

Another HCM City cueist Nguyễn Đức Anh Chiến beat teammate Đỗ Nguyễn Trung Hậu, the silver medallist last year, 40-39 to claim the bronze medal.

Phong Phú Hà Nam women beat HCM City 1

Phong Phú Hà Nam beat HCM City 1 1-0 in the National Women’s Football Championship-Thái Sơn Bắc Cup at Thống Nhất Stadium, HCM City yesterday.

Vũ Thị Thúy scored the only goal of the match for Hà Nam in the 75th minute, condemning HCM City 1 to defeat in their home stadium.

The win helped Hà Nam take the lead in the rankings with 20 points after eight matches.

On the same day, Việt Nam Coal and Minerals beat HCM City 2-0 with goals from Lê Thị Thương and Trần Thị Thu.

This year’s tournament is divided into two phases, with the first phase in Hà Nam from May 9-30 and the second phase in HCM City from yesterday to September 12.

The best four teams will proceed to the quarter-finals and then compete for the national championship.

Activities held nationwide to celebrate National Day

A wide range of activities is being held across the nation to mark the 71st anniversary of Vietnam’s National Day (September 2).

The Supreme People's Court organised a manoeuvre in Vung Tau city, Ba Ria – Vung Tau province from August 20 – 21, as part of activities to mark the 71st anniversary of National Day (September 2, 1945 – September 2, 2016) and the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the supreme people's courts in southern region (1976 – 2016).

The manoeuvre was attended by Secretary of the Party Central Committee Nguyen Hoa Binh, who is Chief Justice of the Supreme People’s Court; and member of the Party Central Committee, Party secretary and Chairman of the People's Council of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province Nguyen Hong Linh; along with leaders of the supreme people's courts in the southern region. The event attracted the participation of 300 athletes from 27 teams, who competed in three sports, including volleyball, table-tennis and tennis. The event offered staff members of the Supreme People's Court an opportunity to improve their skills and health.

In Hanoi, the Ministry of Public Security also co-ordinated with Vietnam Television to organise an arts exchange programme on August 21. The event reviewed the glorious feat of the People's Police Force via documentaries and art performances.

In Phu Yen province, the first Youth Gong Culture Festival 2016 took place in Son Hoa district. The festival drew the participation of 150 young artisans in the province, including Ca Lui, Ea Cha Rang, Krong Pa and Son Hoa communes; Song Hinh district and Dong Xuan district.

Ha Tinh province has also organised Nghe Tinh ‘Vi, Giam’ Folk Singing Clubs Festival at Hong Linh town, Ha Tinh province. The festival aims to promote the beauty and value of this unique folk music genre and encourage the country to create a dossier to submit to UNESCO to recognise ‘Vi, Giam’ folk singing as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in urgent need of safeguarding. The event featured the participation of 26 clubs along with 450 artisans.

US professor introduces startup book to students in HCM City

A US professor has recently introduced his book to Vietnamese youngsters who are interested in entrepreneurship.

Tom Kosnik, co-author of the book named “Gear Up - Test Your Business Model Potential and Plan Your Path To Success,” met with Vietnamese youths at a talk held recently on Nguyen Van Binh book street in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.

Co-written by Tom Kosnik, Lena Ramfelt, and Jonas Kjellberg, the book provides readers with basic and advanced entrepreneurial knowledge as well as successful stories from Vietnamese entrepreneurs.

Featuring an eye-catching and highly visual design, it mainly targets ambitious, passionate youngsters who wish to jump into the field of startup.

Before coming to the Southeast Asian, the book has been published in several countries, including the US, Malaysia, the UK and Singapore.

Tom’s work was translated into Vietnamese by a group of youths who are member of the Viet Youth Entrepreneur, a non-profit organization established in 2011 by Nguyen Thai Dong Huong, a Stanford University alumnus.

Talking to Tuoi Tre News, Tom said he highly appreciated the effort Vietnamese youngsters have spent on contributing to the community development.

“Two years ago, they [the members of VYE] came to see me, saying they would like to translate my book into Vietnamese. I agreed, suggesting them to team up and find a publishing house,” he recalled.

The US professor came to Vietnam for the first time in 2001 for a business trip.

The man has a special emotion every time he talks about the memories with his Vietnamese students and fellows, including Truong Thanh Thuy, whose startup project was bought by a company in Silicon Valley, or Dong Huong, the founder of VYE.

Tom has traveled to a number of countries to deliver his speech on entrepreneurship and startup.

“Vietnam is the country I do everything for free,” he shared.

The professor also attended a startup conference on Sunday in Ho Chi Minh City before going to Singapore for further affairs.

Tom Kosnik has been a Lecturer at Stanford Engineering, Department of Management Science and Engineering since 1990.

He is also a consulting professor for National University of Singapore Overseas Colleges Program in Silicon Valley.

Korean woman bursts into tears after losing purse in Vung Tau

A Korean woman who possibly had her purse stolen in Vung Tau with all her money and papers burst into tears at the hydrofoil jetty and is all over social media as a result.

Bena Kang arrived at the pier in the afternoon of August 17 to travel back to Ho Chi Minh City, but when she reached for her purse in her bag, she found it was gone.

She began to sob in panic since the purse had her passport, flight ticket and other papers.

Security guards and others working there tried to help her but in vain since she had no idea where she could have lost it.

Bena Kang from the Republic of Korea cries after finding out her purse with valuable papers was lost in Vung Tau on August 17. 

They then donated some money so that she could take a bus to the city and seek help from the Korean consulate.

Kang’s story on social media has drawn criticism about the poor security in the beach town.

Many people said it might be the last time she visits Vung Tau, possibly even Vietnam.

Phan Truong Son, director of the Vung Tau Passenger Port, tried to deflect the criticism, telling news website Zing: “She said she lost the purse, not that she was robbed.”.

The Republic of Korea is Vietnam’s second biggest tourism market with nearly 860,000 Koreans arriving in the first seven months of this year, up 37% from a year ago.

US ambassador joins LGBT pride parade in Hanoi

The LGBT community got on their bikes to fill Hanoi streets with vibrant colors on August 21 as part of the fifth annual VietPride.

The "Viet Pride - Path of Pride" parade organized by the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community Sunday morning called for eradication of homophobia in Vietnam.

Hundreds of LGBT people and their supporters, including US Ambassador Ted Osius and many other diplomats, joined the parade to celebrate the freedom of love and personal expression, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity.

“My most special feeling when I am in Pride is when I stand with other people and realize that I am not alone," said Chu Thanh Ha a transgender man from the youth leadership group NextGEN. "At the same time, you feel small but you also feel part of something so big," 

The parade was part of the fifth annual Vietnam LGBT Pride that run from August 19-21. 

Over three days, the LGBT community held film screenings, talks, as well as musical events, speed dating, forum theater, LGBT history exhibition, and a PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) panel.

Viet Pride, which first started in 2012, is a movement advocating for an end of prejudice, discrimination, shame, and invisibility faced by LGBT people. 

Viet Pride celebrations have taken place in more than a dozen of cities and provinces across Vietnam, with the most prominent ones being in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

In the last four years, Vietnam has made numerous legislative changes towards increased acceptance of LGBT rights. 

In 2013, the government abolished fines on same sex marriages and a year later the parliament repealed the constitutional provision defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

Since 2015, the law has allowed same sex weddings but still not recognized same sex marriage. Also in November of that year, Vietnam passed a landmark law allowing those who have undergone reassignment to register under a new gender.

6.6 kilos of heroin seized at Laos border

Police in Son La Province on the Laos border on August 19 seized 6.6 kilograms of heroin from a smuggling gang after a shoot-out.

A police source said they started shooting back after the gang of more than 10 people fired at them.

The gang fled after 20 minutes, leaving a gun and the drugs behind.

The police are looking for the smugglers.

Vietnam has some of the world’s toughest drug laws. Those convicted of possessing or smuggling more than 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kilograms of methamphetamine face the death penalty.

The production or sale of 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal narcotics is also punishable by death.

Although the laws have been strictly enforced with capital punishment handed down regularly, drug running continues in border.

The Son La police arrested 25 people and seized around 300 kilograms of heroin smuggled in from Laos in a one-year period up to May 2015. This year too many drug smuggling attempts have been busted.

Tracking devices sold, used openly in Vietnam amid privacy concerns

In Vietnam, tracking devices are being sold openly, allowing users to trace the location of another person without permission, particularly doubtful wives seeking the inside scoop on their husbands.

“Do you want to know exactly where your husband is and who he is talking to? Do you want to know if your children are currently in class or at gaming centers? Our smart tracking device will help you,” reads a post on a Facebook page that has received over 2,000 orders for the tracking device.

The tracking devices being advertised cover a wide spectrum of quality, with prices ranging from a few hundred thousand Vietnam dong for a cheap product up to VND10 million for a high-end tracker. (US$1 = VND22,000)

Customers are typically asked to pay in cash upon delivery, which can be the same day or take three to five days from when the order is placed, depending on the store.

Most Facebook pages that sell the device have a customer service department to resolve customer problems and assist customers in using the high-tech stuff.

This caricature says it is against the law to use tracking devices in Vietnam.

Reporters from Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper ordered a tracking device from a Facebook page advertising the product.

Three days after the order was placed, a small package containing the tracking device, smaller than a matchbox, arrived.

Following instructions, the reporters inserted a SIM card with registration for 3G service in the tracking device and texted a message, which read “DW,” to the number of that SIM card.

A minute later, they received a link to a Chinese website called Gpsui.net, which displayed the location of the device on a map.

In addition to being able to track locations, this tiny device can also operate as a recorder.

Calling the number of the SIM card installed in the device allows users to hear sounds from the surrounding environment.

The device was initially used to manage the search for lost property, but was quickly adopted by jealous wives and competitive businessmen and businesswomen.

According to T., an online salesperson, 80% of the customers are women who buy the device to track their husbands and boyfriends.

The device is also used for other purposes, such as tracing a business competitor’s location or settling personal hostility.

N.T.T.L., a resident of Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City, almost lost her marriage when she installed the device on her husband’s phone after perceiving strange “signs” from him.

When her husband discovered the device, he felt insulted and asked for a divorce.

H., also living in Tan Binh District, spent VND1 million on a tracking device and gathered an entire army to catch her husband in a hostel, only to realize that the tracking device was not with her husband.

An official from Ho Chi Minh City Police Department said that since tracking devices are not under business sectors that require supervision in order to ensure social order, they can be sold openly by businesses, as long as their origins and paperwork are legitimate.

Lawyer Nguyen Nguyen Thy argued that under current laws, a normal citizen cannot install a tracking device on another person without that person’s permission.

Wives and husbands cannot track their spouses’ locations without permission, and the same applies to parents and their children.

Those behaviors amount to an intrusion on privacy, which, depending each case, can warrant a maximum criminal punishment of two years in prison.

Clash with human feared as wild elephants look for food

Wild elephants from a national park in the Central Highlands continue to scare farmers living near the area as they have rampaged their fields in search of food.

A herd of around 20 elephants were seen foraging for foods around locals’ fields and tents near Yok Don National Park in Dak Lak Province on August 17-19. Rangers have been positioned to chased them back to the jungle if necessary.

Elephants leave footprints on a rice field in Dak Lak Province as they look for food outside a jungle.

The park managers have warned of possible clashes between the elephants and farmers, recommending that the later stay away from their fields for some time.

Around six hectares of corn, rice and sugarcane fields have been damaged.

The elephants are possibly the same herd that showed up on local fields in May, locals said. Forest rangers succeeded in driving them back to the jungle then.

There has never been a more sustainable solution, like expanding their habitat or at least putting an end to deforestation.

Dak Lak is home to the largest wild elephant population in Vietnam, which has fallen from 2,000 individuals in the 1980s to a mere 60 now. Habitat loss and poaching have killed most of the others.

Project teaches swimming to thousands of kids in Thua Thien – Hue

Over 4,300 children in t he central province of Thua Thien – Hue were taught swimming skills during this year’s summer under a project funded by the Nordic Assistance to Vietnam/ Norwegian Church Aids (NAV/NCA).

The children are students of 43 primary schools in the coastal and rural districts of Nam Dong, A Luoi, Phu Loc, Phu Vang, Quang Dien, and the towns of Huong Tra and Huong Thuy.

Over the past three years, the project has been carried out across 110 primary schools in the province, benefiting 11,000 students.

Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Dung said the project has helped reduce drowning accidents in thelocality.

He pledged that the province will continue teaching swimming skills for local primary pupils while enhancing communication work to raise the public awareness of preventing drowning accidents among children.

The provincial official urged the educational sector to mobilise resources for expanding the activity.

Besides the project, the NAV/NCA has provided assistance for the province in social issues, such as poverty reduction, gender equality, HIV/AIDS prevention and control, and climate change adaptation and natural calamity mitigation, according to Dung.

A UNICEF survey showed about 7,000 children die from drowning each year in Vietnam.

Two foreign pilots released after false drug arrest at Vietnam airport

Two foreign pilots of a Vietnamese carrier have been released following a detention at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on August 18, after the white powder customs found in their luggage were verified as not being narcotics as suspected.

Test results found that the white substances are in fact plastic powder, the Vietnam News Agency reported on August 20, citing an official from the Criminal Science Institute under the Ministry of Public Security.

The pilots were therefore set free, with the Vietnamese airline they work for having confirmed the release, according to the news agency.

Passengers wait for their luggage to be scanned at the customs section at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City on April 7, 2015.

At 11:05 pm on August 18, Filipino pilot Elmer Ederadan Sorrea and his American colleague Francis Dennis Abellera Yutangco were held by customs at the Hanoi airport, as they were boarding a Cebu Paciffic Air flight to Manila.

Sorre, 45, and Yutangco, 53, said they both work for a Vietnamese carrier and are on a leave.

Customs officers found a model aircraft with white powder inside the baggage of Sorrea, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

A quick drug indicator test showed that the white substance turned the same color that signals opiates, the Vietnam News Agency said. The group of opiates includes opium, heroin and morphine.

Customs then booked the case and kept the two in custody for further verification.

Central Highlands narrows development gap

The Tay Nguyen Central Highlands has narrowed the development gap with other regions in the country, with its per capita income reaching 36.15 million VND (approximately 1,645 USD) or 80 percent of the national average in 2015, compared to 15.5 million VND or just 67 percent of the national figure five years before. 

According to Dieu Kre, standing deputy head of the Steering Committee for Tay Nguyen, the region posted an annual GDP growth of 8 percent since 2011 thanks to a shift to intensive farming, high-value industrial plants in agriculture and development of some key industries including hydro power, mining and farm produce processing. 

In agriculture, production value per hectare of cultivated land has increased from 73.1 million VND in 2011 to 97.5 million VND at present as a result of crop restructuring and the application of intensive farming and technologies. 

Meanwhile, the industrial sector has expanded by an average 11.4 percent a year in the five year period. 

The region absorbed more than 267 trillion VND in investment from all sources during 2011-2015, while the banks’ network has been expanded, meeting local capital needs. Socio-economic infrastructure has been greatly improved, particularly the transport network. 

Total investment in the transport network in Tay Nguyen topped 64.2 trillion VND during the past five years, with 74.2 percent going into national routes. 

The region now boasts a road system with a combined length of 39,812km, accounting for 7.33 percent of the country’s total. The system includes 2,517km of national roads and 1,918km of provincial roads. Of the more than 35,300km of rural roads, 43 percent have been concreted over. In particular, the completion of the Ho Chi Minh Highway (National Route 14) and the upgrade of Pleiku Airport in Gia Lai Province and Buon Ma Thuot Airport in Dak Lak Province have contributed greatly to facilitating regional development. All communes in the region are now accessible by car even in the rainy season. 

Expansion has also been seen in other infrastructure facilities in the region including the postal and telecommunication network as well as power, irrigation and water supply systems. The canal network, with a combined length of 5,000km has now met 65 percent of the region’s water demand. 

The national electricity grid has reached 100 percent of communes, and 96 percent of households in rural areas have access to electricity. 

Along with infrastructure, development has been seen in education, health care and other social areas, bringing about remarkable reduction of poverty. Nearly 181,000 households have risen above poverty since 2011, reducing the rate of poverty to 7.34 percent of all households compared to 18.92 percent in 2011. More than 428,000 labourers received vocational training in the five-year period, and 536,000 found jobs, of whom 31 percent are ethnic minorities. 

Many ethnic minority communities have ended their nomadic lifestyle and settled down, switching from slash-and-burn practice to cultivating long-term industrial plants such as coffee, pepper and beans, thus raising their income and living conditions. 

The Steering Committee official said the region will continue with concerted efforts to achieve the socio-economic goals of this year, paving the way for the five-year development plan of 2016-2020. 

Tay Nguyen will push ahead with the economic restructuring and switching to a new growth model, Dieu Kre said, emphasizing that carrying out the national strategy to cope with climate change will be a priority. The region will take drastic actions to protect its forests, close down natural forests while improving the operation of forestry companies and accelerating the planning of irrigation development. 

More investment will be mobilized from every possible source to complete the transport infrastructure in the region, particularly the axis roads along the National route 14C and those connecting Tay Nguyen and the south central region. 

The region will also research policies and measures to foster hi-tech agriculture and seek specific plants and animals suitable for its different ecological areas with a view to increasing production value of the agriculture sector and raising local residents’ income. 

The Tay Nguyen Central Highlands comprises five provinces: Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Gia Lai, Kon Tum and Lam Dong.

VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri/VNE